A Subtle Thief isn't the Only Thief
by Sephieroth
Summary: Picking a lock, or blowing it open, that's how he rolled. As long as he got the job done, he didn't care. Personal life, and his 'jobs' were kept separate for ten years...Up until his friends got involved. "Subtlety is overrated sometimes."


**Hello readers, writers, and everyone else! Welcome to a new idea that was born out of boredom and desperation...**

**Yeah, not really. Was having trouble -feels intense glares- Okay, a LOT of trouble trying to publish the next chapter of God of Blades...I blame the Manga, but anyway, I feel unsatisfied with it. But regardless, I asked my good friend, Silvdra-zero if there was a cross he'd like to see.**

**And he decided to introduce me to a new anime. Well, maybe not new but still new to me. Guilty Crown!**

**You all get to read, or become a victim of the consequences of his actions. Lol.  
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**I won't lie. This is unlike most crosses I usually attempt, but I must say I enjoyed writing this. I love it! MWHAHAHAHAH! I hope you all do too, and if not, well not much I can do about that.**

**For those who know and have watched this, Naruto is the star of this chapter, but after this one Shu shall play more of a role. This is a few days before the start of canon for the show.**

**Also, I do not own Naruto or Guilty Crown they belong to their respective owners and I only own the unexplainable desire to write this story for, not only my own amusement, but a few friend's as well!**

**Enjoy! Or try to!**

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

**Chapter One: A Subtle Thief isn't the Only Thief.**

Ouma Shu was your average high school student, unassuming, quiet, some called him shy or weird. Really, all he wanted to be was left alone. He wore the standard school uniform that was required as his brown hair fell into his brown eyes, resting his head on the desk.

The teacher didn't seem to mind, considering the class was almost over as he did whatever it was he was doing. Of course, when the bell ended up ringing, Shu knew that he wouldn't get the quiet he desperately wanted.

Why?

It probably had to do with the blonde that had pulled him out of his chair, along with an arm around a giggling and slightly blushing brown haired young girl. She too had brown eyes as two red ribbons that kept her hair in twin tails.

The blonde was taller than him, by an inch or two, with wild spiky hair. Blue eyes shined with mirth as he kept his arms around his companions, getting Shu to smile slightly.

These two, he guessed, you could call his best and closest friends. Naruto Uzumaki, and Hare Menjou. Shu grew up with Hare from middle school on up, and was a constant in his normally unassuming life...Though he'd be the first to admit she did act slightly strange toward him at times.

Naruto...was the friend you ended up friends with and yet you're not entirely sure how. He was loud, he was 'cool', and he was nice. But, he was also athletic despite not participating in any sports. The two brunettes met him sometime in middle school, and he just threw himself in with them.

"We are all going to go get some ramen, right now, no questions or delays, got it?" Naruto stated with a large grin, getting Shu to shake his head. He pulled himself out of the embrace.

"I can't, I've got some club duties to take care of. Souta and Yahiro say they have a video they need me to edit." The brunette chuckled at his friend's narrowed stare, missing the dejected look by Hare.

"Then they'll come too, but we're all going on a ramen run, no objections!" Shu was expecting something like this as the blond proceeded to drag them both outside the door, causing their only female companion to giggle again.

She, if anyone had to guess, enjoyed the exuberance their blonde companion seemed to project. He never liked quiet settings so he aimed for being loud and causing others to laugh with him.

The proof of that would be the fact that Shu was smiling. "Hey Samukawa, Tamadate! Let's go!" The two mentioned students, a tall brunette that greeted everyone with a smile and pleasant aura, and another loud slightly shorter black haired student turned.

At least once a week this was a common occurrence, getting chuckles or smiles from the other students in the class. Hare gave a quick wave to her best friend, Kanon Kusama, a slightly short young woman with glasses and black hair, who winked and waved back.

"What's the hurry, Uzumaki-san?" Yahiro questioned, only to rewarded with a stern glare. "How many times do I have to tell you, Yahiro-san, call me Naruto!"

The brunette just rolled his eyes at that as Shu chuckled slightly. He mused at how he could call everyone here a friend, yet only two he could truly call friends...Maybe three. Souta proceeded to run in front of the group as he grinned wildly.

"There are rumors on some forums about a new Egoist song coming out soon! Can you believe it!" Hare rolled her eyes at that as Shu looked up with a surprised expression. Naruto and Yahiro, however...

"I trust that means you've been stalking the internet for the past few nights for any signs of downloading for said song?" The blonde questioned with a grin. His target blushed and chuckled nervously as they all boarded a train.

Hare took a seat along with Yahiro as Naruto leaned against the wall. Souta moved close to Yahiro, and began to chat with the brunette as Shu stood beside the blond. It was a stereotypical Monday evening. They all didn't necessarily live near each other, but they all have gotten in the habit of getting on the train together.

"Hey Shu!" The loud voice of Souta suddenly broke the brunette from looking through the internet on his device.

"Can you edit this video for the contest that's coming up?" The teen handed over a data cylinder, green and very small.

Shu looked at it, and nodded. "Alright. Any specifications?" He asked quietly, wanting to get back to his browsing. Yahiro just sent him a smile, leaning back.

"It's all in there, try to get it done soon, but don't rush it." The brunette explained.

A nod of understanding was sent, and Naruto suddenly picked up his phone as it began to ring loudly.

"Hello?" Hare sent him a glance as everyone seemed to notice his demeanor shifted slightly.

"Is that so? That is a little unsettling..." The blonde seemed to whisper, but it was still heard.

"Alright, I understand. Thanks for the heads up." Naruto said before he hung up, shaking his head slightly.

"Something wrong, Naruto?" Shu questioned as he shifted through internet pages. The blonde just chuckled slightly as the doors of the train opened.

"I'm afraid I have to leave now. Turns out someone is really, really infected where I live. I need to get back and salvage any of my things I'd like to keep in case those GHQ guys burn it all." The whiskered teen stepped out and sent them an apologetic smile.

"I'll see you all tomorrow, sorry for dragging you all out here for nothing." He apologized, waving at them.

"Be careful out there! Make sure to get a vaccine afterwards, okay?" The female of their group told him worriedly. Naruto just gave her a thumbs up as the train whisked off, steadily getting out of his vision. The blonde watched it for a little while, before finally spinning on his heel.

With a whistling tune, he proceeded to walk toward the city streets.

_'Showtime.'_

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

The rustling of keys was the only sound before the door was pushed open. Naruto sent a small smile as he regarded the dark and dusty apartment room.

Home.

The whiskered blonde had lied to his friends, there was no infected anywhere near here. Well, not so badly that the GHQ would be notified. No, he had other plans, plans they didn't need to be involved in. With a careless toss the keys landed with a slide on the counter as he walked toward a pile of clothing.

He was an orphan, everyone knew that...What they didn't know was that it wasn't always like that. Most believed he was abandoned in an orphanage or something, he didn't care to correct them. The blonde found a small necklace with a button on it, and he pressed it.

A hissing noise echoed from the kitchen, getting the teen to just smile as he straightened up. He pulled off his uniform, throwing it on the couch without a care. He'd wash it later, and continued into the kitchen. Nothing was out of the ordinary as he opened the fridge and got a half empty bottle of water to drink.

The water was cool to the throat, and that was good. It would probably be one of the few relaxing drinks he'd have tonight. Finishing it off, he tossed it into the recyclables before opening up a cabinet underneath the sink. A solid metal tunnel was visible as he grinned, diving inside.

Why would a student have such a tunnel? For escape? Was he dealing drugs? Was he doing something illegal? The answer he would provide, if ever asked, would be: "Why not?" Of course, that particular question would be irrelevant when they finished sliding down the tunnel.

Pistols of all kinds, shapes, and sizes hung on the walls, an assortment of silencers in various drawers or scattered on the ground. Several grenades were set in neat rows on a different desk. In the center of the small room were three computers running various numbers and streams of data.

In front of the computers was a picture of a young blonde man and a young red haired woman holding a younger Naruto in their arms. They all had bright smiles with the setting sun and the snow behind them. He smiled fondly at it before moving behind the desk.

He'd probably be arrested for having such a room, but it was all acquired fairly. His parents were surprisingly wealthy, and when they...died. He inherited everything. Though, at the time...That didn't matter much at all, he still grew up on the streets.

His pants fell to the floor as he opened a hidden compartment...which inside was an assortment of clothing. It was all black, similar to skintight leather yet a bit more breathable for the wearer. Very hard to tear or rip, and very useful. A pair of goggles with black shades was on top with a mask that would cover his cheeks but not his mouth.

At the bottom was a belt with hidden compartments, mainly to store what he's usually after. His blue eyes darted toward the surprising quantity of data cylinders, filled with what, only he knew. He put on his gloves with a smile followed by the bodysuit. The belt was next followed by a black coat. The goggles rested on his hair as he strapped on four holsters.

If one was honest, they'd say Naruto looked intimidating, the black clothing giving him off an intimidating feel. Maybe it had to with how much it covered, or how dark it seemed compared to his attitude, who knew. He did seem like a scary sight in the dead of night, that much was true.

Naruto kept the mask in his hand as he walked toward the stockpile of pistols, eyes looking for his favorite pair. Seeing them, he holstered the black weapons with two silencers, before grabbing a grappling gun as well. It went into the third holster, followed by another handgun.

He quickly went to the grenades, grabbing three of the seven and pocketing them in his coat. With that done, he put the mask on as well, letting the goggles fall over his blue eyes, an excited grin adorning his face. Something changed in the room, someone else breathing was in the room.

"I see you're ready for this, Thief."

The disguised student chuckled, turning to see a young man standing in front of a white background. It was designed to look like that, he knew, seeing as he has met the man before. He gave him a thumbs up as he nodded.

"Of course. I'm always ready for a job." The shoulder length blonde young man on the screen smirked at him, his light gray-blue eyes shining on the screen. "Alright then."

The screen changed to show the schematics of a several story tall building. As it scanned up and down, several rooms were colored red as the person kept speaking. "Your targets are at the thirteenth, twentieth, and twenty-seventh floors. The twentieth floor will be your final target, since it will require the most effort getting inside."

"I know, we've been over this seven times, already." Naruto shook his head with a chuckle. The picture went back to his apparent employer, or maybe it was his handler. "I know, but I do not need to stress how important this mission is. I need you to succeed, you can't miss anything in this one."

"You wanted the best, I am the best, you know that. Relax Gai, I'll get this done without any problems." The blonde gave his fellow blonde a thumbs up, causing him to just shake his head. "I hope so. Black Swan will be your technical support for this mission."

"Oh?" Naruto let out a chuckle as he walked away from the screen, hitting numbers on a security lock. "Kitty-cat will be my eyes and ears? What a relief, I thank you Gai." A chuckle came from this statement as the door opened into an alleyway.

"Thief."

"Yes?" Naruto questioned as he stepped outside. As he did so, he put a ear bud in his ear, as the door shut behind him. "Try not to attract attention to yourself in this one. In and out, that's what we need."

The blonde just laughed in response, running off toward his destination. "Of course! Who do you think you're talking to?" He questioned rhetorically.

-/-/-/GHQ Security Building, near the outskirts of Odaiba-/-/-/-

11:00 P.M.

All was fairly quiet, probably because it was a Monday night. Not to mention it was cloudy, giving it a darker feel tonight...

It was perfect really. A perfect night to break into a government owned building.

Naruto mentally went over all he had to do as he stared at the building. Heat signatures showed up on most of the floors as he kept a hand on his goggles.

There were three things he needed to do tonight.

First, was to find one Shinzo Ashikawa and to incapacitate him to clone his security card. And to take his fingerprints. He was a genetic researcher who worked on something his client wanted. This was actually the job that would lead to another job.

In order to attempt that one, he'd have to finish this one. After doing all this, Naruto would have to get to the twenty-seventh floor and download the code for the door on the twentieth floor. The blonde had to grin at that...

No telling what else he might find on that computer.

After getting the code, he'd have to get down to the last target and basically copy everything and anything from it. The information they needed was in it, but no one was sure what it was under...So he'd have to get in and make sure no one would interrupt him.

His grin seemed to widen. This would take a little bit of time, not a simple in and out mission. He risked being caught at any point in this assignment...In this job.

The rewards, he knew, would totally be worth it this time around.

With that in mind, he pulled out his grappling hook, pointed it toward the roof of the building and fired. It whistled through the air, hitting the top with a clang, before it pulled back and got caught on the side. Naruto proceeded to run off the roof, swinging with the cord that kept him attached.

With one hand he took one of his guns, aiming at a window. It was probably the tenth floor as a female voice spoke into his ear. "Blackout in three."

"Two."

"One."

The lights and all power went out in the building just as Naruto shot the window, letting him roll inside without making much noise. His feet crunched on broken glass as he pressed a button on his goggles. Half showing heat signatures, the other showing night vision. It was disconcerting, but not the first time he had done this.

It would suck to run into a wall, after all. Or miss someone walking down a hallway.

"Thanks Kitty-cat. I'll let you know when I need your assistance again." The blonde dashed toward the stairs, quickly running up without a care in the world, trying to make sure He didn't run into anyone.

"Ninety seconds till back up generators come back on, Thief." 'Kitty' told him, sounding slightly annoyed. Naruto grinned as he ran as quick as possible.

Ten seconds it took for him to make it up to the thirteenth floor, when a heat signature was opening the door to the stairs. His hand was out like a flash, grabbing the person before they fully opened the door, slamming them headfirst into the wall.

The person collapsed in a heap as Naruto dragged the security officer into the stairs, before shoving him down them. That way he wouldn't immediately be spotted. Without batting an eye, he turned and looked around the floor, noticing a signature surrounded by two guards.

'_Damn.' _Was his only thought, before running toward it. "Thirty seconds Thief. You need to get to get as far as you can!" His help in this mission shouted in his ear.

"I know Kitty-cat. There's just a small snag, give me ten seconds." Before she could protest, the blonde ran out where two laser sights were on him. "Who are you!" "Identify yourself!"

They were too slow as two bullets flew through their foreheads, the target looking at him, about to shout for help. A gun smashed into his stomach knocked all of his air out, before something smashed into his head. Naruto didn't mind the blood that started to stain the floor as he turned off his goggles.

"Yep, this is him." With that in mind, he patted the man down before pulling out a security card, and then pulling out a device. It scanned the ID for a moment before glowing a green light and Naruto put it back in his pocket. Pulling out a small piece of transparent sticky paper, he pressed the man's fingers on it, before peeling it off.

Stuffing it back in his coat, he then turned and ran, his goggles turning back on to infrared vision.

Fourteen floors to his next required area, or he could try and break through the door on the twentieth floor. It all depended on his journey toward the room.

"Fifteen seconds!" Naruto blinked at that, and picked up the pace. It wouldn't take him long to get to the mentioned floors, if he was honest...It was what would happen when the back-up generators were up. People would be patrolling, and when they find the bodies of those two guards and the unconscious man...

The alarms would be blaring.

"Five!" He took another turn, running up another set of stairs.

"Four!" Sixteenth floor? Not bad for such a short time.

"Three!" He just grinned, it was definitely showtime now. "Kitty-cat, enough. Just keep an eye on their radio messages. Let me know when they've discovered the bodies."

"Grr, fine! Just stop calling me that!" A chuckle was all she got as the lights flickered back on. Naruto made sure to close his eyes when they did so, dulling the brightness as he opened his eyes to look around. Eighteenth floor. That was good.

He kept running as he periodically looked up and down to see any heat signatures. It was all good so far, possibly a little too good, considering the owners of this building. His eyes narrowed as he stopped halfway to the twentieth floor.

Wait a second...

"Gai, are you there?" Something was off. His gut was telling him if he continued with his original plan, this would all go to hell...It was too convenient so far, too perfect...Seven floors in between his target, then running all the way back down with the power on, even if it wasn't full power?

The floors had been empty of all signs of life...If he didn't know any better, he'd say he was being set up to fail if he went any higher now. "What is it Thief?"

The blonde started to walk up the stairs, heading for the door labeled Twenty. "Something is off...It's gone too smoothly, too quick...These floors aren't supposed to be empty. Change of plans."

"What are you going to do?" He grinned as he opened the door. Gai had the same confidant voice in his question, which only let Naruto know that he trusted his judgement.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have been hired for this little mission.

"I think I'm going to get the information you need the most direct way I know how." He reached in his coat as he calmly walked toward the security door at the end of the hall. "Kitty-cat, I want you ready to shut down any and all alarms as soon as possible."

"...I don't like the sound of this. What are you going to do, you baka!" The female voice questioned into his ear. His grin was one that you might see on a child who was up to something no good, mischievous.

"Why, I'm going to open this door Kitty-cat...With an explosion." He pulled out a grenade, tossed it in his hand once, before pulling the pin. Ignoring the shouting coming from his ear piece, he flung the explosive toward the door and dove into a separate hallway.

The sound of an explosion, and fiery blast it created echoed through the building, shaking it. Something large and metallic screeched and slammed into the wall followed by the breaking of glass. Red lights started to appear in the building as alarms blared loudly along with the sprinkler system installed to shut off any fires that may start.

In the midst of it all, Naruto calmly looked at the gaping hole in the wall, leading to the so called 'secure' room, laughing loudly. Nothing as simple as a reinforced door was going to keep him out! He kept up his laughter for a little while longer as he calmly walked in.

His belt opened up as he pulled a flash drive and shoved it into the computer. His fingers worked quickly over the computer until multiple screens with download progress sprang up, letting him nod with a smirk. "Downloading now."

"Thieves are supposed to be subtle! Not throwing explosives at doors to open them up!" Kitty yelled in his ear, causing him to laugh. "Sometimes subtlety isn't the best thing. Call it my survival instinct, I know what I'm doing."

Then he heard it, the clicking noise. By then it was too late.

Three bullets went through his left arm as he dove to the right, drawing one of his pistols and shot the offending man two times. Fatal shots, both of them as the man fell to the ground as Naruto gritted his teeth in pain. "Damn it all!"

"Are you alright?" It was Kitty-cat, and Naruto chuckled. "I was distracted by your wonderful voice, Kitty-cat, and got shot in the arm." The blonde looked at his arm, trying to move it, but it just hung limply by his side.

"Well that's just great." He muttered. Two more guards came into view, and were quick to fall to his precise shots. As they fell, Naruto shakily pushed himself back up to his feet, and walked toward the computer.

Download complete along with an Upload complete were written across the screen. He grinned as he took the drive out and put it back in his belt. Redrawing his weapon, he quickly walked toward the hole in the wall, scanning all around.

A bunch of people were running down and up the stairs, which further cemented the idea that he made the right choice. A trap was waiting for him somewhere at this building, and he just literally blew that trap to smithereens.

"Got the information, now to find me an escape route." The blonde quickly ran down a hallway, going through every bit of information he knew and what he had at his disposal.

"Escaping is going to be hard, considering they've already sent for reinforcements. You better hope to Kami they don't bring Endlaves...Which they probably will!" Kitty yelled at him, annoyed at how idiotic he was by blowing his cover like that.

It didn't get rid of his smirk, and neither did the bullets that flew past him as he hid behind a wall. His grappling hook was out, considering he'd be a sitting duck for gunfire. The stairs were out too.

"Can you hold out for five minutes, Thief?" Gai questioned calmly. Naruto blinked as he looked down the hall, shooting several of the people shooting at him before pointing down the other end and nailing another in the head.

"Possibly, why?"

"Ayase could get there, and if you reach the windows, catch you should you jump out." A growl was a response to his suggestion as Naruto continued to return fire, using his goggles to make hits without revealing his head.

"You know my rules, Gai! I don't need outside help, not now, not ever!"

"Damn it, this is not the time to be stubborn! The information you have is more valuable than your foolish pride!" Gai shouted back at him, but Naruto ignored him. He ejected the empty magazine on the ground before tossing his gun in the air.

His hand yanked out another magazine that he quickly put in his mouth as he caught his gun. He pushed it inside the gun before slamming it against the wall to lock it in, and resuming to shoot at his attackers. Keeping them at bay.

"Thief..." Kitty was surprisingly quiet right now as Naruto gritted his teeth...Before his eyes found something. Then his grin came back.

An idea sprang into existence, born from desperation, cunning, and perhaps a little bit of madness. Or maybe it was genius.

"Turn the power back on, Kitty-cat." He said loudly.

"Huh?"

"Do it Kitty-cat! Turn the power back on, all the way!"

"What do you have planned, Naruto?" Gai had a feeling he was probably going to hate whatever idea 'Thief' created. The blonde wouldn't be disappointed as Naruto's laughter rang in their ears, and everyone else who might be listening.

"This is going to be my best getaway...ever!" The blonde shouted as the lights became brighter, and everything was working. Putting up his gun, he took another grenade and yanked the pin out with his teeth, throwing it down the hallway. He turned off his goggles, letting them become normal as the explosion shook the building.

He heard the screams, but didn't really care as he slammed the Up and Down buttons of the elevators. His blue eyes danced with mirth behind his goggles as he kept laughing. It was exciting, it was funny, and it was going to be great!

"Thief?" Gai questioned, but his answer came when the 'Dinging' noise of an elevator was heard. Naruto ran inside, shutting the door and hitting the basement floor. After a second, it started to move as Naruto looked up.

"An elevator? You're going to be caught for sure now!" Kitty told him, sounding outraged and disappointed at the same time. The blonde ignored her as he saw the emergency hatch some elevators had, and he jumped on the small hand railing.

He pulled the hatch down, and he jumped to catch his hand on it. With some effort, the thief pulled himself outside of the elevator, looking at all the wires and the cord that kept it attached.

"Feeling a little daring tonight, aren't you Thief?" Gai seemed to have caught on to what he was about to do, getting him to grin.

"Kitty-cat, can you open elevator doors?"

"Of course. It won't do you much good unless there's no one there."

Pulling his gun, he pointed it at the cord that kept the elevator up and running. "I need you to open up the ground floor elevator doors for this one. I'm about to make it the express elevator!"

"What!" It was too late as he shot the cord. For a split second it seemed everything was frozen as they were separated...Then it began to free fall, and quickly at that. It screeched against the walls as Naruto was slammed against the top of it, grinning wildly.

"You don't have very long to do this Kitty-cat! Maybe ten, twelve seconds!"

"You are totally insane! Irresponsible! Crazy! Why we use you, I don't know, nor do I know how you're still alive!" Her voice raged at him as Naruto just laughed at her words.

Sparks and the metallic groaning roared in his ears as the blonde narrowed his eyes behind his tinted goggles. He knew what he was doing was dangerous, but it was how he raised himself. If he wanted something, he took it. If he needed something done, he did it.

Screw the consequences. Regardless of the risks. Without risks, there were no rewards. "Are they opened Kitty-cat?" Naruto questioned loudly.

"Gimme a second, almost there!"

"You only have five by my count!"

"There!" Naruto quickly straightened himself the best he could as the lights and his surroundings blurred around him. It was all in this moment now. He ignored the pain in his arm, ignored the noises around him as the sight of an open doorway appeared in his vision.

He jumped.

And crashed into the floor in a roll before breaking off in a run. Shortly afterward a loud crashing noise echoed behind him as the doors shut. Naruto ran through the doors without a care in the world, noticing the sirens and other cars getting closer as he ran for the alleyways.

"Mission Complete. On my way back to base." Was all he said as he entered the shadows of the night.

"Excellent work, as always Thief."

-/-/-/-/-/-Hare's Home. 1:24 A.M.-/-/-/-/-/-/-

The brunette was peacefully sleeping, hair undone and wearing a nightie. Her flushed cheeks and slights moans were showing her dreams might not be as innocent as many might think they are. She snuggled into her pillow more, giving a sigh.

"Oh Shu..." Of course, all things must end. In this case...

A loud ringing noise that came from her phone that caused her to fall out of her bed in a crumpled heap.

-/-/-/-/-/With Shu-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Shu was looking solemn as he listened to songs from his favorite band, Egoist. Or maybe he listened to them so he could watch the lead singer, only known as Inori to the world. She was a pinkette who seemed to dress in a way to show off a lot of skin.

He had his eyes closed as he listened to one of their songs...When his phone began to ring. With a risen eyebrow, he thought about ignoring it, before sighing and pausing the song.

"Hello?"

"Shu-kun?" A sleepy, but surprised Hare answered him. That was odd, she never called him this late.

"Is something wrong Hare?" Before she could answer though, an "Ow!" Rang through both their ears. "Damn it, some nurse you are! Hey you two, glad you two are up!"

Shu swore he heard Hare mutter "I wasn't before." But he passed it off as his imagination. "Naruto. I trust you have a reason for calling at one in the morning." Personally, he didn't care...He just wanted him off the phone. The brunette wasn't in the mood.

"Yeah, I do. Something happened at my home, and well...I won't be coming to school tomorrow, so...OW! Damn it, woman you are not GENTLE I swear! Some nurse you are!"

The two friends were rewarded with another 'Ow' from their mutual friend before he continued. "Anyway, can you turn in my assignments for tomorrow if I send them over? And send me whatever it is we're doing tomorrow? Please?"

This actually wasn't an uncommon occurrence, he did this off and on throughout their mutual school years. He usually called a lot earlier in the day though, but of course considering what happened to his home (Or in reality, his job) they could understand it.

"Of course." Hare stated warmly, now not as upset from being woken up. "Sure. Just send it, and I'll turn it in. Send you the assignments tomorrow as well."

"Ne, can you tell us what happened though, Naruto?" The blonde chuckled sheepishly, and they knew he was grinning too. "I kind of got mugged on my way to a friend's. Broke my arm, but you should see the other guy!"

"Anyway!" He unknowingly cut off Hare, as both their emails started to flash. "Thanks again you two, I'll see you both Wednesday! Promise! Thanks again!"

He hung up on both them before they could respond. "I'm not surprised." Shu said with a light smile, before he got ready to hang up.

"Goodnight Hare, pleasant dreams."

"O-oh! Goodnight Shu-kun, you as well." He didn't know she was blushing at the mention of dreams, nor would he find out as they hung up.

Shu quickly opened his email, looking over the work Naruto sent, nodding, and returned to his music.

-/-/-/-/Back with Naruto-/-/-/-/-/-

"You suck at being a nurse." A swat to the head was his reply as Naruto stuck his tongue out at a red-haired young woman. She was beautiful, with fair skin and light eyes, and a busty figure. She wore a white shirt with some black and orange shorts.

The thing that might cause someone to shy away from this young woman...Would be the fact that she was a paraplegic. She spun in her wheelchair, to glare at Naruto who ignored her in favor of jumping off of his 'hospital bed'.

He had his goggles pushed up on his head, and his mask was taken off, hidden in one of his coat pockets. Said coat was being put on again as it hung loosely on him. A white cast was around his arm as he turned to smile at his nurse.

"Were you impressed, Ayase? Now you can proudly say you know someone that made elevators more exciting!" Ayase just shook her head, unable to keep the sarcastic smile off her face.

"Yes, I was very impressed at how you scared anyone listening to your mission. I think Gai-san was the only one who didn't think it was crazy." Naruto just waved her off, laughing a little.

"Nah, Gai thought it was crazy too, I know he did." The duo proceeded to straight heading in the same direction, the blonde aiming for his belt to pull out the flash drive. Throwing it in the air and catching it, he grinned at Ayase.

"Told you I'd get it, no problem. And I escaped without any helps from Ayase, Queen of all Endlaves." A roll of the eyes was her response as Naruto chuckled at her reaction.

"Yes, the great Thief was able to accomplish his mission by getting shot in the arm, employing several unorthodox tactics, and a suicidal getaway. We all tremble at your mastery of your craft." Sarcasm dripped from her voice as Naruto sighed in resignation.

"I get no respect, even with a job well done." A giggle, a rare noise coming from her, but it got him to smile.

"Have you reconsidered our invitation?" She asked, hopeful eyes regarding the blonde thief, but seeing how his smile had dimmed slightly she knew the answer.

"My answer is still no, Aya-chan, you knew that before you even asked." It was stated with a sighing tone, causing her to idly look at Naruto. He seemed sad, for denying it, or because she asked, she wasn't sure. Her own face showed just how much she disliked the answer as well.

With a sigh, she opened the door with the correct code, and as the doors opened...

"Woah!" Naruto quickly sidestepped out of the way of a thrown pair of scissors, the duo turning to stare as the common object hit the floor with a dull thud and slid.

"I always knew you were a baka, but this was completely insane! You inconsiderate little...GAH!" They both turned to see the thrower, a teen maybe a year younger than Naruto advancing on them. Grayish blue eyes were shining with anger, and rage.

Her black hair, in a hime style, swished behind her as she stomped toward the the duo, but it was clear to anyone that she was aiming for Naruto. She wore a smaller trench coat of their organization that Ayase and Gai were in. The girl had a metal band in her hair that looked so similar to cat ears...

It probably wasn't hard to guess who this was.

Naruto stared at the teen with a happy smile, even though she had just thrown a pair of scissors at him, and was poking him hard in the chest. "Kitty-cat, oh how your wondrous appearance does me wonders! Why, I think I could go and take on the whole GHQ now!"

The blonde quickly sidestepped a punch thrown by the smaller person who was growling at him, the light flush on her cheeks either from anger or embarrassment. "Don't even suggest such things! I think your little stunt put an even bigger target on your head! Not to mention you sent them into such a frenzy we have to postpone our next hit!"

"And another thing, my name is Tsugumi! T-S-U-G-U-M-I!" She spelled out to the blonde, but only had her hair ruffled by the blonde. "Heh, I think Kitty-cat needs to calm down. People might start to think you're angry at me!"

"I am angry at you!" Tsugumi shouted at him, while Ayase failed to contain another attack of giggling laughter. The hacker turned to glare at her friend. Ayase noticed the look, and it only caused her to giggle harder. "Stop laughing Aya!" She shouted, but the red head just rolled on ahead, laughing.

Naruto started to laugh loudly as well, moving past 'Kitty' and entering the room to see an amused group of people inside. Tsugumi soon stormed past them both to move back to several monitors, as Gai walked up to Naruto.

Said thief pulled out the flash drive, and threw it toward the man. The blonde caught it easily, a smirk crossing his face. "Excellent work, as always Thief." 'Thief' just grinned at the man.

"With this, we can finally retrieve that item..." Gai muttered to himself, staring at the drive with an unknown look, before he threw it toward Tsugumi. "You know what to do."

"Aye! Leave it to me!" She said cheerfully, purposely ignoring looking at Naruto or Ayase...Or anyone else for that matter as she hit several keys in a row.

"However, we'll have to push back our timeline by at least two days, maybe a little longer. Considering the remarkable Thief was able to get in and out of one of their buildings will have them in a certain frenzy."

Chuckles filled the room with Naruto shrugging at Gai's statement. It was true, that little assignment wasn't exactly the best he had ever done, what with the two grenades and renegade elevator...

There was no denying the sheer excitement that came from that though. Even if his arm was kind of shot to hell for the moment.

"You can't say I don't bring results." Naruto stated childishly, looking up at Gai. The young man nodded his agreement.

"That's right. You were able to pull off something alone that would have required a team for my own people, with possible casualties." Naruto just grinned widely, before walking toward a working Tsugumi.

Or she was working, up until Naruto pulled her in a one armed hug. "You forget, Gai-san, that I was not alone in this mission! This would have been harder, much harder if I hadn't had the help of the lovely Kitty-cat!" He was purposely ignoring the death glare that threatened his life by the teen in his embrace.

Ayase kept her giggles quiet, but Tsugumi heard her and sent her a glare as well as Gai cracked a smile. "I see, my apologies Tsugumi. I extend my thanks to you as well, of course." Said hacker blushed at the attention, and round of applause...before finally shoving herself out of Naruto's embrace.

"Keep your hands to yourself!" She growled, but Naruto just laughed at her, giving her a smile as he turned to walk away.

"Is that all, Gai?" Naruto questioned, turning to look back at his current employer. The blonde leader nodded at the thief, causing him to grin and walked toward the door.

"Those 'toys' you requested will be waiting at the usual place. They weren't as hard to get as your last one." Gai called out to him, getting a wave in response. "No worries, I trust you lot...Besides..." He tapped his goggles as a mischievous smile graced his face.

"It was unbelievably fun."

-/-/-/-/-The next morning-/-/-/-/-/-/

Shu was riding the train, as usual, toward school again, idly looking at the video he was supposed to edit. Or, he should have been. It was kind of minimized as he went through various different sites, looking up old news or rumors of the new Egoist song.

Well, that was until someone took hold of his arms, and a different device covered his. "Shu-kun! Look!" Hare seemed excited...or worried. Or both. Wondering what she meant, he paid attention to the news reporter that was speaking.

"In other news, it seems the infamous Thief struck again last night, this time targeting a GHQ owned building. Thanks to an insider source, we have been told that this mysterious young man was able to enter the building undetected during a strange blackout in that area."

The woman disappeared to show the blurry image of someone exchanging fire with security guards, before throwing a grenade into the hallway. "Normally, in similar escapades of this burglar, he tended to avoid violence, but this time around, it seems he didn't care. According to our source, thirteen people were killed in the exchange during the incident."

"Some more injured by the explosion of a single grenade. This reporter has to wonder how this young man, who might not even be in his twenties, has gotten explosive devices or the ammo to go on regular illegal activities such as this."

"Also, it seems he left behind another video, that our source has graciously cloned and given to us." A recording appeared on screen to show Thief standing, staring real close at the camera. Seemingly nodding at he, the blonde walked away to stand in the center of a darkened room, behind him a series of windows.

Sun streamed inside as the blonde grinned at the camera. "Greetings, my unfortunate victims! My name is...Well my name is irrelevant!" Thief shook his head at the camera with a chuckle.

"You can just call me Thief. It's what I do, my job, my trade after all. It seems your security needs an improvement, or maybe new guards or henchmen, considering I just succeeded stealing from you." Here he pulled out one of his guns, looking at it in his hands.

"Though I will admit my next...Or I guess last is the technical term now, job would probably be filled with a little more bloodshed than I would prefer it to be, but...Well, what can you do?" Here he shrugged.

"To the families that I may or may not affect with my actions tonight, I offer my deepest apologies and condolences. I know that won't mean much, but it's all I can say." Here the blonde sighed, before stepping forward, pointing his gun at the camera.

"Now, GHQ idiots! I bet you thought your little buildings were so secure, eh? Well guess what, They aren't! Because, I, apparently, have just broken in and stole something of yours! No government building is going to keep me out, no little shop can bar their doors from me, and want to know why?"

"I'm just that good!" Thief declared with a smirk.

"You can call me arrogant, or foolish. A murderer or just a common criminal, I don't care. The fact remains, I'm still at large, and I just broke into a government owned building without getting caught! So, with that in mind, thank you for being my 101st _reported _break in! It means a lot to me, let me tell you." Here the blonde laughed, before nodding.

"To all my future clients, and repeating clients, I hope this shows you that I am still the best there is. You need that watch? That priceless antique? That government file, or the plans from a coworker? I'm your guy! You know how to find me, and if you don't...Well..."

"Well, sucks to be you, huh?" He pulled the trigger, and the picture fragmented, before turning into static. The news cast returned toward the reporter who was shaking her head.

"It seems this individual was confident in his abilities to make it inside, and get out from the facility without being caught. It makes one wonder what types of resources this 'Thief' has at his disposal and what the law enforcement and the GHQ government plans to do about him."

The rest of the report was muted as Shu looked at Hare who was staring at the device with a frown. "Why would anyone recklessly do such things? To live like a criminal?" Shu shook his head, handing the device back toward his classmate.

"For all we know, he could live just like anyone else." Shu stated, really uninterested in this conversation. Hare looked at him questioningly, causing him to mentally sigh, but he smiled at her.

"They don't know his identity, so he might just live like any other person in the world. Maybe he's rich and is just bored, or is very poor and just steals to make a living, who honestly knows. The fact remains, that he chose his occupation and he apparently sticks with it so much he's unafraid of retaliation."

The young woman nodded at that, understanding his point. "Still...Why live a life so dangerous?" Shu shrugged, packing up his things as the train stopped.

"Who knows. Maybe something isn't right in his head."

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

While, unknowingly to him, his two friends were talking about his life choices, Naruto was arguing with someone on the phone.

"What do you mean, I'm not doing the next assignment!" Naruto shouted at his caller. A calm voice, despite being yelled at in the ear, replied.

"Your injuries may be healed in time for the assignment, but we'd rather not take the risk. Think of this as a...vacation of sorts. A reprieve." Naruto scowled, wishing desperately he could hit the wall at the moment.

"If I wanted a vacation, I'd have chosen a different line of work! Damn it, why can't I do this job! I was so excited to do it too!" Taking a breath, the blonde calmed down for a second. "Can you at least tell me who is going in my stead?"

"We've chosen Inori to retrieve the object. She should be able to do it with the information we have at our disposal. Ayase and Tsugumi will back her up on this mission. They should be able to accomplish this mission smoothly."

Naruto sighed, shaking his head. "Fine, whatever. Best of luck to them then, I don't care!" The blonde ended the call, before throwing the phone at the wall. He knew he was being childish, but he was preparing himself for that job for months now!

Watching it hit the wall, and fall, the blonde sighed. They could do it, he knew that, but he didn't like leaving a job half finished. With another sigh, the injured blonde decided to lay on the couch. He decided to wear a orange shirt with some khaki shorts, since he didn't plan on going out anywhere.

Looking at his arm, Naruto closed his eyes. In three, maybe four days he'd have his arm back, and ready for action. Even the shadiest medical facility had standard medical equipment that would speed his recovery process. He hated being useless, and apparently his current employers found him that way.

No...They weren't that cold. They just wanted to make sure he was fully healed before he did anymore jobs for them. That didn't mean he had to like it. Staring out the window, the blonde frowned at the sun.

"I kind of wish I was at school right now. Sitting around the house is so...boring!" The blonde complained to no one.

Kami, he wish he hadn't gotten shot.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

In a darkened room, several people sat in chairs watching the video of Thief basically taunting the GHQ.

"It seems this one needs to be found, and knocked off his high horse, wouldn't you say?" A calm, and cool voice spoke out, staring at the screen wearing a white coat.

"Perhaps. Tell me Segai, do you think this prey is worthy of your attention?"

"Hmm. He seems a little young for what you usual send me for, but alas the world seems to be changing before my very eyes." A man shook his head for a moment, as a smirk crossed his face. He looked reminiscent of a jester...

An evil jester that is.

"I guess I can go find this little thing and perhaps..."

"Show it the error of it's ways..."

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

**Blah I hate how short this was! Regardless, it'll be longer next chapter! Filled with more explosions, gunshots, some intense fire!**

**And explosions...Wait, didn't I mention that? Oh well.**

**Interesting fact, Neko-chan or Kitty-chan might have been better of a nickname for Tsugumi, but I was eating a Kit-Kat when I first started on this and Kitty-cat just kind of stuck with me. So..Yeah...  
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**Now, for those of you wondering what the pairing is, Not a clue! I mean, I know what I HOPE to make it into, but of course things like that are subject to change. Please try not to review telling me a certain pairing, I'll make it how I want. (Key note: This will not be a Harem like with 4+ girls, so don't ask!)  
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**Anyway, for those who know this anime, Naruto will not get the Power of Kings, so do not ask about that! I already have his Void planned out (Thanks to the assistance of a Friend) and as you can see his skill set consists of being able to shoot people and covert operations.**

**Ages: Shu, Ayase, Kanon, Naruto, Yahiro, Gai: 17. Tsugumi: 15. Hare: 16. (Will put that up at the top next time around.)**

**Anyway! Like it? Love it? Hate it? Oh well! Just review either way, and I'll get to work on the next chapter.**

**Sephieroth Out!  
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